Arctic 4 in Northern Norway March 21 – 27, 2016

From Kirkenes to Svolvaer & Lofoten

2 Nights on board Nordkapp from Kirkenes to Svolvar

Hamnoy, Lofoten

My trip in Norway has two parts: six nights from March 21 to 26 with Arctic 4 from Kirkenes to Hamnøy Lofoten and 12 days from March 27 to April 7 on my own from Borgvåg Lofoten to Oslo.March 21 Monday: Utsjoki, Finland – Kirkenes, Norway

Our sea journey began on board MS Nordkapp which set sail from Kirkenes at 12:30pm. Henry drove us from Holiday Village Valle, Utsjoki to the port. Once we crossed the border into Norway, we were excited to have our first glimpse of the Arctic Ocean. We took photos and could feel the fast dropping temperature. We had left Teno River behind and the scenery changed into flat, expansive and untamed wilderness in white.

As Finland is one hour ahead, it was 10:30am local time when we reached the port. Fortunately, our cabins (317 and 319) were ready and we could leave our suitcases before jumping in Henry’s car again to go shopping. As we would have breakfast buffet on board and had plenty of instant noodles and congee from Hong Kong, we only bought a few items for the coming two days.

I was in Murmansk, Russia which is about 150km from Kirkenes, in June 2014 but I did not have an Arctic feel that time. But Kirkenes with its harbour covered with pack ice and everywhere in white is unmistakeably Arctic.

I shared a cabin with Kylie and we explored the boat as soon as we left our stuff in the cabin. The boat is a working coastal vessel for cars, goods and 590 passengers. It does not have the facilities of a typical cruise ship. The lecture room, shop, cafe and restaurant are all located on Level 4 while the lounge (a quiet zone), bar / lounge and an open deck are located on Level 7. On Level 5, one can walk around the boat. It was fairly empty this time of the year and most of the passengers are 50+. I like this boat. First, it’s quiet: the passengers are not noisy and polite. Like me, they have come in search of peace, tranquility and the spectacular winter scenery. Second, I like the décor which is elegant and simple: the flooring and staircases are all in wood. Third, there is only one restaurant serving good and wholesome Nordic food.

30 hours on board MS Nordkapp from Kirkenes to Svolvær (from 12:30pm on March 21 to 6:45pm on March 23)

As a whole, I had a fantastic time on the boat. We began our day with a sumptuous brunch. The breakfast buffet is excellent with plenty of fruits and nuts, bread, cheese, salmon, sausages, eggs and vegetables. As the weather was poor, there was no Northern Lights. Instead I had quality sleep without disruption. I was busy enjoying the stunning landscape and taking part in all organised activities on the boat and on land.

First, the winter scenery and spectacular landscape of Arctic Norway is unrivaled. The boat cruised along the rugged coast of Northern Norway. The winter landscape is stunning, beautiful and surreal. Despite the generally poor weather during the entire voyage, we had a lovely sunset on March 22.

We had the most scenic cruise on March 23 after leaving Stokmarknes: as the weather began to improve and despite the freezing cold wind, I stayed on Deck 5 for over two hours. The scenery around the inlet of the Trollfjord is breathtaking. I also saw my first sea eagle on this journey when approaching Svolvær.

Second, I visited four ports of call. The boat made 16 stops before arriving in Svolvær. The length of stops varies from 15 minutes to two hours. I disembarked at four ports.

Vardø 70º22’14ʺN 31º01’27ʺE (March 21)

Founded in 1789, it is North Norway’s oldest town. Its importance grew during the medieval period as a result of the expanding Norwegian royal power. A church was built in 1307. In the 17^th century, Vardø was centre of a great number of witchcraft trials and more than 90 persons, Norwegian and Sami, were sentenced to death. The town saw a marked expansion after 1850 owing to the growing importance of fisheries and the Pomor trade with Russia’s White Sea region.

As soon as the boat arrived at the pier, I followed the guide on a whirlwind 30-minute walk to see the fortress where the witches sentenced to death were once hanged. The snow came down in full force and it was freezing cold. I was scared of falling and walked with great caution. The fortress is small but picturesque and atmospheric especially during sunset. I had no time to look around or take a decent photo as I had to fight my way back to the boat!

A small group of passengers had a polar dip next to the pier! What a crazy thing to do when the temperature was well below zero!

Hammerfest 70º39’45ʺN 23º41’00ʺE (March 22)

The world’s northernmost town and the gateway to the Barents Sea, Hammerfest is now the energy and petroleum town of the north. We walked first to the evangelical church built in 1962. The chapel opposite the church located at the end of the graveyard is the only remaining building in the town from before WWII. It was closed owing to a funeral service.

We walked the past Museum of Post – War Reconstruction which is about the WWII and the rebuilding of Finnmark. Then I proposed we took a taxi to see the Meridian Column erected in 1854 in memory of the first scientific measurement of the curvature of the earth. This international cooperation between Russia, Sweden and Norway was concluded in Hammerfest in 1852. The Struve Geodetic Arc was the first technical and scientific object to be inscribed on the World Heritage List and this column marks the northernmost end point of a meridian column 25º 20′ from the Northern Ocean to the River Danube.

Before boarding the boat, we had a quick tour of the free museum run the Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society with many interesting display about living in the Arctic and polar explorations.

Tromsø69º40‘58ʺN 18º56‘34ʺE

As soon as we landed in Tromsø at 11:45pm on March 22, we jumped into a tour bus together with some 50 passengers heading to a midnight concert at the Arctic Cathedral (530 NOK each). We enjoyed the concert with a soprano Gro-Anita Gyring Kval, Georgy Ildeykin playing the cello and Linde Mothes playing the piano, cembalo and organ. They performed a dozen pieces of music. I do not know anything about music but find the music soothing and spiritual. We rushed back to the boat which set sail around 1 am.

Stokmarknes 68º33’56ʺN14º54’15ʺE (March 23)

It was snowing heavily again. We only had an hour and joined most of the passengers to visit the Coastal Express Museum (50NOK). There are too many things to see including a tour of the museum ship MS Finnmarken.

Third, I attended several talks and lectures. The three-member expedition team has done good job to keep passengers busy and amused. I attended their talk on Vardø and the pomor trade, witch trial in Vardø,hunters and trappers from the Norwegian coast and the Norwegian literature scene. I also watched thechef’s demonstration on salmon sashimi preparation. Most of the passengers were not keen to eat sashimi: as a result, I had half a dozen pieces. The salmon which was delivered that morning, was fresh and tasty. Yummy!

4 Days by Car in Lofoten

March 23 Wednesday: Svolvær – Henningsvær

MS Nordkapp finally arrived in Svolvær 68º13’7ʺN 14º34’E and we disembarked around 6:45pm. I have suggested renting a car as it would be difficult to go around during Easter holiday. Luckily both Venus and Kylie drive regularly in Hong Kong. Everything in Norway is expensive and we paid 4650 NOK for a small Suzuki car for four days. I love small fishing villages and have decided to stay in Henningsvær and Hamnøy on my second visit.

As soon as we had finished shopping in a supermarket, we got on E10 and drove towards Henningsvær Rorbuer located at the end of the village right by the sea. On the way, we saw some beautiful Northern Lights dancing across the sky for almost half an hour.

I am not satisfied with my pick: the cabin is fairly expensive for its quality and price (1500 NOK a night plus 125 NOK each for linen and towers). It is not value for money especially when compared with the luxurious mansion in Utsjoki!

We had fish and mushroom for dinner. By the time we were able to go out, the Northern Lights had almost gone though I could see some above the mountains. But light pollution is a big problem. So I did not stay out and went to bed early.

March 24 Thursday: Scenic drive

We were greeted with a beautiful sunrise for a change! The place looks bright and lively with plenty of seagulls flying around. After a good breakfast, we set off without delay. First we followed E10 before turning off to Gimsøy, Hov and Hovsund. While E10 was cleared of snow, the narrow side roads were still covered with snow. Venus had a hard time driving while we enjoyed the stunning landscape. This area is beautiful with many stables offering rides on Icelandic ponies.

Then we were back on E10 for a short while before turning off a road leading to Vestersand. I suggested driving to Sandøya at the end of the road. But the snow was deep without a cleared drive path. Venus wanted to turn back but it was difficult to find a place to turn round. We did not want to get our car stuck in the snow. Luckily the car is small and easy to manoeuver.

We were cold and hungry. Though we had sandwiches with us, we preferred something hot. No cafe or restaurant was open. Hence we returned to Henningsvær where we had our first meal in a restaurant since leaving Hong Kong. Fiskekrogen offering postcard winter view of the harbour, colourful houses and majestic mountains, is simple, comfortable and elegant. Venus ordered starter portions of creamy fish soup, whale meat, cod tongue and fish and chip. We paid only 886 NOK! Great value!

I planned to take them to the nice cafe I went last November. But everything was closed by 4pm. We had a walk up to a radio station for a view of the area and saw for the first time how workmen put cod on fish rack. Then we went to the Hill Station with more fish racks. As it’s not possible to park, Venus and Ellen took the car back to Henningsvær Rorbuerwhile Kylie and I stayed behind to watch sunset. But it was too cloudy and a local told us that there would be no sunset or Northern Lights.

In the evening, we drove around looking for a dark spot to watch Northern Lights. There was no star and it was unlikely to see Northern Lights. We soon returned to our cabin and had udon with mushroom. As we had bought plenty of meat, Ellen cooked four chick thighs using herbs, Japanese soy sauce, ginger powder and black sugar Okinawa for the next day. I did not sleep well as my throat was dry and hurting. I coughed badly and worried I would disturb my roommate Venus.

March 25 Friday (Good Friday): Henningsvær – Hamnøy – Å – Hamnøy

Ellen & Venus in front of our cabin in Henningsvaer

Around 6am, Kylie asked me whether I would join her to watch sunrise. I was so tired that I did not get up. Anyway, it was cloudy and there was no sunrise. After an early breakfast, we packed up and left.

Back on E10, we drove all the way to Eliassen Rorbuer in Hamnøy, a tiny village on E10 before Reine. We had Cabin 4 with two bedrooms and a large living room with a well-equipped kitchen and views of the inner sea and mountains. My friends felt they were on a boat as they could see the water from the sitting room. I highly recommend this Rorbuer for its quality of and price. As I had been coughing badly the night before, I decided to sleep in the sitting room.

We had tasty chick thigh for lunch before driving to Å, the village at end of E10. During my last visit in November, I had only met a tourist and two local residents in two days. This time, I met a dozen of tourists within an hour. I took my friends to see the cabin I had stayed. But I could not find the owner to say hello.

It was late and we did not have time to visit other fishing villages along E10. Instead we returned to our comfortable cabin and explore the area. The bridge at the entrance of the village is an excellent spot for photographs. Venus took a most beautiful photo of the mountain and the village with a wonderful light which lit it. We had pork chop for dinner.

It became cloudy. I found a dark corner and saw a few patches of faint green lights. As the chance of spotting good Northern Lights was very low, I went to bed early. A good sleep would do me good!

March 26 Saturday: Hamnøy – Reine – Leknes – Hamnøy

I had a decent sleep though I still had a bad cough. As Venus had to buy a new pair of warm boots, we decided to drive to Leknes. After breakfast, we first drove to Reine, one of the most popular spots in Lofoten for a walk. I was here last November on a bus. We walked around for half an hour and I took photos of the fish racks and the surrounding areas. But Reine is crowded with many houses and rorbuers.

The weather turned bad and miserable. We spent a couple of hours shopping in Leknes. I went to a pharmacy and got something for the cough; Venus had a pair of boots while others found discount warm gears. It was still raining when we came out of the shopping centre. So we drove back to Hamnøy and spent a leisure afternoon in our cabin.

At 7pm, we went to Restaurant Krambua in the village. It is run by Mikæl from Sweden and Noemi from Italy who fell in love with the place while on holiday here a few years ago. They took over the restaurant a year ago. I am impressed by their warm personality and efficiency: two of them served a three-course dinner to some 30 guests within two hours. Tonight, we shared two fish soup, two main courses (fish and lamb) and a dessert (almond cake). The portion was substantial and we were full. The total bill was just over 1250 NOK.

We were surprised to meet a group of nine photographers from Hong Kong. They had spent ten days in Iceland and would stay in Lofoten till April 1. Their photography trip was arranged by a local company: a German photographer would find them good locations for photographing sunrise and sunset, landscape and Northern Lights. It was raining the whole night and I had a good sleep.

March 27 Sunday: End of Arctic 4 journey: Hamnøy – Borgvåg

Today, day-light saving began. By the time we cleaned up the cottage and ready to go, it was already 9:30am. Suddenly we discovered beautiful morning lights appearing above the horizon and decided to hang around for another half an hour. I spent my time at the pier next to our cabin and took pictures of the mountains and the village by the bridge. To our surprise, most of the snow on the mountain opposite the village had gone overnight after the rain. The scenery with snow and without snow is different.

Ellen, Kylie and Venus would be moving to Svolvær for one night before leaving Norway on March 28. I had to wait a few more days for the fishing event and found myself a room through Airbnb in Borgvåg located 4km off E10 between Leknes and Svolvær. My friends dropped me in Borgvåg and met my host Geir. We had pork sandwiches in the kitchen before they set off shortly after 2pm. Farewell my friends: I am on my own again!